Driving guide for concrete piles



April 966 c. L. WILLIAMS 3,245,481

DRIVING GUIDE FOR CONCRETE FILES Filed June 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 TQTIWIH April 12, 1966 c. L. WILLIAMS 3,245,431

7 DRIVING GUIDE FOR CONCRETE FILES Filed June 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet z April 12, 1966 c. WILLIAMS DRIVING GUIDE FOR CONCRETE FILES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 21, 1963 JW I United States Patent 3,245,481 DRIVING GUIDE FOR CONCRETE PILES Cyril Lewis Williams, Kirkella, England, assignor to Composite Piling and Foundations Company, Limited, Hull, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,650 Claims priority, application Great Britain, June 22, 1962, 24,136/62 7 Claims. (Ci. 173-412) This invention relates to the driving of precast concrete piles and pile-sections.

A pile may be formed of pre-cast concrete pile-sections each of which has metallic re-inforcement, such as a metal coil helix or hoops to give resistance to bursting and handling strains, and either has a plurality of passages, conveniently formed by tubes of plastic material, cardboard or the like, through each of which extends a post-tensioning cable or rod or such cables or rods with a coating of plastic material are positioned prior to casting. The ends of a pile-section may be each provided with sockets in which engage members for locating the adjacent pile sections and preventing their relative rotation, and at least one of such sockets or a specially provided socket at one end is threaded to receive an eyebolt or the equivalent to facilitate handling and transport of the section or else such eye-bolt is cast in and removed before driving in. The pile-section first to be entered into the ground is either made integral with a nose-cone or foot or a nose-cone end portion is made fast thereto. The pile is formed by first driving in a pre-cast concrete section with an integral or attached tapered nose-cone and having a plurality of tensionable cables or rods extending therethrough, connecting the ends of such cables or rods to corresponding cables or rods of a pre-cast pile section held thereabove, lowering the upper section to abut co-axially the driven-in section, tensioning the cables or rods from the top of the upper section and then locking them to hold the tension and secure the one section to the other, and driving in the second pre-cast section whereafter a further pre-cast section may be joined on in like manner and also driven Now the object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for use in driving such pile sections and relatively short piles to ensure proper alignment of drive as well as economy in cost of equipment as after driving a pile-section the driving apparatus may be moved to drive a section of another pile while that sect-ion just driven in is coupled up to the next section.

The apparatus according to the present invention comprises a normally vertical elongated member or structure which carries the pivots of a plurality of pairs of jaws capable of being locked in closed position and carrying guide members for guiding the pile or pile-section and the hammer for driving the same into the ground.

Preferably the jaws are connected together in groups each carried by at least two pairs of jaws as by means of the guide members, which may have expendable readily replaceable wear surfaces, so that only a lower or lower and intermediate group of jaws out of say three groups need be closed for handling a pile or pile section which has been partly driven-in or is shorter than the full height of the apparatus.

When the pairs of jaws, which are preferably pivoted or olT-set pivots, are closed the guide members define a guide channel matching the cross-sectional shape of the pile for example square, rectangular, polygonal or circular with sufiicient clearance for ready axial movement of the pile during driving in. The guide members may be spaced vertical members or plate members provided with apertures through which the progress of drivmg a pile-section may be watched and to avoid trapping a cushion of air between the hammer and pile end. When the guide members are plate they are preferably stiffened by vertically extending re-inforcing members external thereof.

The jaws, when open, enable a pile or pile-section to be introduced between them while suspsended from a preferably mobile crane.

The apparatus is preferably arranged to be suspended from a crane boom, although it may be self standing and mobile, and may have means such as telescopic struts for holding it vertical and preventing displacement of its lower end. By being suspended the apparatus will automatically take a plumb position which is maintained by the struts which may bear on the ground or both on the ground and on the body of the crane.

In use the apparatus is positioned at the place where the pile is to be driven in and then the jaws are opened for the pile-section to be placed in the channel formed by the guide members which also guides the driving hammer which is elevated and allowed to drop by a cable passing over a pulley at the end of the crane boom or at the top of the apparatus.

The guide members or their carrying jaws may be provided with handles to facilitate the opening and closing of the guide tube although they may be moved by jacks such as hydraulic jacks and it is also preferred that the free ends of the jaws overlap and have registering apertures in which a locking pin or wedge may engage to hold them closed, such pin or Wedge being positioned normally or by hydraulically actuated means. It is also preferred to provide vertically extending external re-inforcing members on the guide members between jaws.

Now in order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect two difierent embodiments of apparatus are by way of example hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation.

In the said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one form of apparatus shown in operative position and as suspended from the boom of a crane,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pair of guide carrying jaws shown on an enlarged scale and in closed position,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1 of another form of apparatus and also shown suspended from a crane boom,

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a cross-section through the apparatus showing a pair of jaws in plan and on an enlarged scale, the closed position being shown in full lines and the open position in broken lines, and

FIG. 6 is an elevation showing the jaw pivot similarly on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the said drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the apparatus comprises an elongated, conveniently tubular, circular cross-section member 1 which carries a plurality of pairs of jaws 2, 3 which pivot thereon and relatively thereto for opening and closing movement and are located as by means of collars 4 fast with the member 1. The free ends of the jaws 2, 3 overlap and have apertures 5 in which may engage a locking pin or wedge for holding the jaws closed.

The several jaws 2 carrying a semi-circular guide member 6 the other complementary member 7 of which is carried by the several jaws 3, and when the jaws are closed the members 6, 7 form a tubular guide for a pile-section to be driven in and for the hammer for driva ing the same. Apertures 8 are provided in the members 6, 7 through which the progress of driving may be watched and to avoid a cushion of air being trapped between the hammer and pile end. Vertical stiffening members 9 may be provided externally of the members 6 and 7.

The apparatus may be arranged to be self-standing as well as mobile but it is preferred to suspend it, as illustrated in FIG. 1, from the end of jib 10 of a crane as by means of the fitment 11 and the end structure 12. which can carry a pulley for the cable 13 for raising the driving hammer (not shown) and a further pulley for a cable 14 which may be used to place a pile-section in the guide, as a lift for a man for locking the jaws, and for other purposes.

By virtue of its suspension the apparatus will automatically hang plumb and when positioned where a pile is to be driven in is located and stabilised by ground engaging struts 15 which may be telescopic with or without a further strut 16 connected to the body of the crane (not shown).

The apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6 is similar in its essentials and comprises an elongated structure, of side members 20, 21 and transverse members 22, arranged to be suspended from the structure 23 at the end of the jib 24 of a crane. The transverse members 22 carry pivot pins 25 on which pivot the overlapping ends of jaws 26, 27 the free ends of which are apertured at 28 to receive a locking pin or wedge for holding such jaws closed. The several jaws 26 carrying the one semicircular guide member 29 and the jaws 27 carry the complementary guide member 30, which guide members have apertures 31 and external vertical stiffening members 32.

The lower end of the structure is connected to the crane body by a strut 33 and once in operative position its lower end may be stabilised by struts 34 which may be telescopic.

In each embodiment the pairs of jaws may be arranged in groups to provide several separately openable and closeable lengths, of which for example there are three formed by dividing the guide members as indicated at 42 and 43 so that the respective groups of pairs of jaws are inter-connected by the guide member lengths. The lower ends of the intermediate and upper groups may be provided with peripheral external reinforcement which may overlap the upper edge of the next lower group so that a lower group can only be opened with or after the group thereabove.

The apparatus may incorporate other detail variations without departing its essential structure, for example hydraulic or other such jacks may be provided to move the pairs of jaws or groups of pairs of jaws or other meeans employed to assist in closing the pairs of jaws and locking them closed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for driving piles which includes a column member, means disposed at a top'end portion of said column member for suspending said column in a vertical position at a selected position near a ground location where a pile is to be driven, a plurality of pairs 5 of lockable jaw members each pair being pivotably mounted at spaced locations along said column member, a guide member disposed along the internal portion of each jaw member and having a length at least equal to the spacing between adjacent pairs of jaws but less than the length of said column, the internal periphery of the guide members of mating pairs of jaws being selected to pass therethrough a pile having a preselected external peripheral shape.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the length of said column is greater than the length of the pile to be driven through said guide members.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 including apertures in said guide members to observe the movement of a pile therein.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a crane having a tension member engaging'said means for lifting said column member and vertically positioning said column member at said selected position and a cable means adapted to lift and drop a pile hammer through the interior of said guide members'when said column is held vertically, pile lift means adapted to engage and lift a pile and a pile positioning means for moving said pile lift means horizontally for placing a pile through open jaws into the interior of matable guide members carried by the jaws.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the length of said column is greater than the length of the pile to be driven through said guide members.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 including diagonal strut members carried by a lower portion of said column member for engaging adjacent ground terrain to brace said column member when it is held in a vertical position.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including stiffening members disposed parallel to said column member and between said jaws and said guide members.

References Cited by the Examiner 4: UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,857 1/1954 Great Britain.

BROUGHTON G. DURHAM, Primary Examiner.

FRANK SUSKO, Examiner.

LUCIOUS L. JOHNSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR DRIVING PLUS WHICH INCLUDES A COLUMN MEMBER, MEANS DISPOSED AT A TOP END PORTION OF SAID COLUMN MEMBER FOR SUSPENDING SAID COLUMN IN A VERTICAL POSITION AT A SELECTED POSITION NEAR A GROUND LOCATION WHERE A PILE IS TO BE DRIVEN, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF LOCKABLE JAW MEMBERS EACH PAIR BEING PIVOTABLY MOUNTED AT SPACED LOCATIONS ALONG SAID COLUMN MEMBER, A GUIDE MEMBER DISPOSED ALONG THE INTERNAL PORTION OF EACH JAW MEMBER AND HAVING A LENGTH AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT PAIRS OF JAWS BUT LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID COLUMN, THE INTERNAL PERIPHERY OF THE GUIDE MEMBERS OF MAT ING PAIRS OF JAWS BEING SELECTED TO PASS THERETHROUGH A PILE HAVING A PRESELECTED EXTERNAL PERIPHERAL SHAPE. 